Bugs are Coming! Safe Products for Breeding Dogs + Coronavirus

Dr. Marty Greer brings her pragmatic Veterinary Voice to the topic of Coronavirus and what products are safe to use for flea, tick and heartworm prevention in breeding dogs.

COVID-19 is not currently believed to be communicable between humans and dogs. Coronavirus is a general term for a *shape* of a virus and encompasses a variety of viral infections in many species. For more information on recommendations regarding veterinary care during this outbreak, click here.

As spring brings the reemergence of various creepy, crawly parasites that affect our dogs, Greer provides in-depth information about which products are safe for use on dogs in our breeding programs, including brood bitches and stud dogs over the course of time, as well as bitches in whelp.

Greer said, “I think it's really appropriate for us to stick to the EPA and FDA approved drugs that we know have been tested and safe in breeding animals. So, for instance, Bravecto says there were no clinically relevant treatment-related effects on body weights, food consumption, reproductive performance, semen analysis, litter data, gross necropsy or Histology findings in adults and puppies. So we need to be looking for that kind of language on a label before we go slapping things on or popping things into our dogs … I just want to be perfectly clear for what products have or have not been tested.

"So there's three basic categories of flea and tick medications. There's the collar, there's the topical, the oil that goes over the back of the neck or down the back and there's the tablets or the chewables. So there are the three general categories and of those three there's no collar …. labeled for that use in breeding dogs … the topicals, some are definitely labeled and some are not definitely labeled. …if it says like Frontline says safe for breeding, pregnant and lactating dogs and cats, then it's safe. If it doesn't say that you shouldn't use it. It needs to be clear. And if we look at the oral there's …. three oral medications that are not labeled for use in breeding animals. Bravecto is labeled for use in breeding animals. So we need to be really, really clear that we're looking at the labels or reading the instructions and we're thinking at eight weeks of age, what is the this dog’s future, not just is she pregnant right now, but what is her future.”

Advantage Multi for Dogs

Imidacloprid and moidectin

Flea, louse, heartworm, hookworm, whipworm, roundworm and mange.  Topical every 30 days

7 weeks/3lbs

Safety not established.

Advantage Multi for Cats

Imidacloprid and moxidectin

Ear mites, flea, heartworm, hookworm and roundworm.  Topical every 30 days

9 weeks/2 lbs

Safety not established.

Heartgard Plus

Ivermectin,

Pyrantel pamoate

Heartworm, roundworms & hookworms Tablet every 30 days

6 weeks

Safe in pregnant or breeding bitches, stud